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Books: Organic Gardening and Permaculture
 

	Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman, Kathy Bray (Illustrator), Barbara Damrosch "Winter inspiration! Eliot Coleman's fine book has given rise to a gentle whisper deep in my thoughts. That whisper says, "Fresh veggies - in the winter! And it's not even difficult..." I find myself daydreaming about winter gardening, planting winter crops in my imagination, planning beds and trellises and cold frames full to bursting with delicious greens. I entertain the radical notion of a four-season independence from boring, tasteless supermarket vegetables for the price of a very small effort. This wonderful book tells you everything you need to know about four-season harvesting, provides planting dates for a broad variety of garden delicacies, and shares tried and true labor-saving methods. It will inspire you and inform you! An excellent reference, a good choice for a beginnner, and a perfect gift for the avid gardener." Reviewed by ladyanna from Shreveport, LA
	Solar Gardening: Growing Vegetables Year-Round the American Intensive Way (The Real Goods Independent Living Books) by Leandre Poisson "...a continuous food-producing system that provides an ideal growing environment for the entire plant. By creating and maintaining a deep, well-balanced, fertile soil, the system optimizes growing conditions below the ground. By using heat-assisting devices to create beneficial microclimates for seedlings and mature plants, it ensures optimum growing conditions above the ground. The authors have designed solar devices--insulated pods, cones, and pod extenders--to ensure fresh harvests even in winter. These solar structures capture and retain the sun's heat in winter and diffuse strong sunlight and protect tender plants in summer. The book gives step-by-step instructions on building the solar devices and offers a month-by-month gardening guide for the three main North American growing zones--northern, moderate, and southern. There is advice on garden sites and soil, harvesting, storage, and seed-savings, as well as growing tips on 90 vegetables divided into heat-loving, cool-hardy, and cold-tolerant." George Cohen of Booklist
	Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms: Shokuyo Oyobi Yakuyo Kinoko No Saibai by Paul Stamets Detailed growth parameters for 25 mushrooms species, mycological landscaping, state-of-the-art production techniques for home and commercial cultivation, and more.  "Most up to date and exciting information I have ever read! The best! Tops, hands down, expands upon knowledge gained in The Mushroom Cultivator and the authors enthusiasm for mushrooms shines through. Everything I ever needed to know on cultivations, history, and medicinal properties are contained within.. Kudos!" reviewed by "bubba".
	Gardening for the Future of the Earth by Howard-Yana, Ph.D. Shapiro, John Harrisson  "TRULY INSPIRATIONAL... This is a truly wonderful book and a very good read for anyone interested in the well being of the earth. Subjects such as permaculture, improving soil, water harvesting, seed saving and the importance of seed diversity are all discussed here with input from some of the masters on these subjects. This book is not only a reminder of the damage that we have done to the earth but also an inspiration so that we may change our ways and improve the environment. One quote that stuck with me from this book is from E. O. Wilson ..."what humanity is doing now in a single lifetime (to our planet) will impoverish our descendents for virtually all time to come." Having said this, take this book, read it, practice what you have learned and share this info with all you know. As individuals, we can do our part to make a difference for the future.... On a similiar subject, I found "Gaia's Garden" and "Forest Gardening" both to be very good reads as well." Reviewed by daughternature from atlanta, ga
	Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway  "Ecological garden design and food for thought.  At last, a readable, information-packed, well-designed book that presents deeply ecological 'gardening' (via Permaculture, an ecological meta-design process) to a broad North American/temperate zone audience. Hemenway carefully structures the book to present ecological observations, elements of ecological designing drawn from natural systems, and then their synthesis in the 'ecological garden', where the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts. Though focusing on 'home-scale' designing, the book invites readers to notice how these observations, design elements and syntheses have implications and applications well beyond home-scale. Besides the conceptual richness, the book offers us illuminating windows into a variety of real-life examples. It also provides annotated plant and animal species lists, with ecologically integrated applications, that are relevant to temperate climates (such as North America). This sort of specific information, especially collected in one place, has been until now quite a chore to find." John Schinnerer, Seattle, WA USA
	Forest Gardening: Cultivating an Edible Landscape by Robert A. De J. Hart A forest for every home! Since reading Robert Hart's classic book I have seen forest gardens sustaining life in Mexico, Fiji, Australia, South Africa and Britain. Around the world perennial 'home gardens' have been grown for millennia. Yet in temperate climates we seem to have forgotten how. This book has inspired me to increase the diversity and productivity of my own small garden in England, so far with good results. It is inspirational, but it is also practical. The Appendices offer suggestions for a variety of uses and climates. I would recommend as a companion volume, Patrick Whitefield's 'How to Grow a Forest Garden' for further details of the practicalities. But Hart's description of his own forest garden at Wenlock Edge stands alone and is an invaluable guide to practical sustainability. reviewed by "bookchoice",  Oxford, England
	How to Make a Forest Garden by Patrick Whitfield "perennial paradise... In many climates around the world, forest is the natural state of vegetation. It grows without anyone's say-so. It takes no human effort at all for nature to be sustainable, diverse, productive, multi-dimensional, and beautiful. However, most people's gardens, even food gardens, are really none of these, despite large amounts of effort on the part of the gardeners. So what would it be like to garden in tune with nature, to grow a forest garden, with many of the features of a natural forest, and little of the labour usually involved in gardening? Robert Hart pioneered this approach to growing food sustainably, based on his long experience of agro-forestry around the world. He applied his wisdom to his backyard and wrote about it in the classics, 'Forest Gardening' and 'Beyond the Forest Garden'. However, much of what Hart wrote was general and philosophical - explaining the 'why' perhaps more than the 'how'. Patrick Whitefield has produced this intensely practical guide to the 'how' of forest gardening, starting from first principles and including all manner of precise details. Whitefield is an experienced permaculture practicioner and teacher, and he rightly places the forest garden in context as a very useful component of a larger system of sustainable living. On the strength of this book I am in the process of transforming my standard suburban plot into a beautiful forest garden, with apples, pears, cherries, raspberries, loganberries, figs, redcurrants, perennial herbs and salads. It has proved to be an invaluable and much thumbed manual, and an inspirational work. It is directly applicable to temperate climates, and will be of use to those living elsewhere too.  Reviewed by " bookchoice" Oxford, England
	Permaculture in a Nutshell by Patrick Whitfield  "This is an informative, short and cheap general introduction to permaculture, the design of sustainable living. It has been re-issued due to popular demand. Experienced British permaculture designer and teacher Patrick Whitefield explains how permaculture can enrich our lives in the city, on the farm and in the community... it is immediately apparent that by careful design both work and pollution can be minimised. Nature, of course, does this without having to think about it, which is why permaculture systems attempt to emulate natural processes. Though this book is less than a hundred pages long, it has enough detail to get you started on some serious practical projects. The information on 'making a mulch bed' transformed my stony, undiggable back yard into a highly productive vegetable garden in just one growing season, with very little effort (and thankfully no digging!). The book also includes plenty of contact details for taking permaculture further, which, after reading Permaculture in a Nutshell, you will be unable to resist! Reviewed by " bookchoice" Oxford, England
	The Sustainable Vegetable Garden: A Backyard Guide to Healthy Soil and Higher Yields by John Jeavons, Carol Cox  "A Good Introduction to Biointensive Gardening. A revised edition of Lazy-bed Gardening (1993), The Sustainable Vegetable Garden is a concise and easy-to-read introduction to concept of biointensive gardening. Essentially a resurrection of ancient farming practices, biointensive gardening is supposed to increase yields (the authors claim four times higher than one should expect from a standard garden) while maintaining a garden ecosystem that preserves the vitality of the soil for future gardens and generations of gardeners. For one to be able to subscribe to the system that Jeavons and Cox outline, one really has to have a sizeable garden plot, so that one can grow calorie-crops as well as compost-crops, so in this respect the book is not suited for the typical urban backyard gardener with only a few square meters of plot." Reviewed by Ken Scheffler from Canada
	The Edible Flower Garden (Edible Garden Series) by Rosalind Creasy "Create a Garden full of Edible Flowers... Use what is fresh. In this case, that means the flowers too! In The Edible Flower Garden, Rosalind Creasy shares and explains the beautiful world of cooking with colorful and tasty flowers. Emphasis is given to creating gardens that will supply those flowers. It takes a lot of flowers for most recipes, so it is good to know how many of each to plant and when to harvest. While traditional herbal flowers like lavender and borage are included, there are also selections on vegetable flowers, as well as, some more unusual flowers like lilacs, apple blossoms and begonias. I particularly enjoyed Ms. Creasy's experiences with Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and the edible flower gardens they create to supply fresh flowers for their world renowned restaurant. Of course, the beautiful photos of the Edible Flower Canapes, the Pineapple Sage Salsa and the Rose Petal Sorbet weren't bad either."  Reviewed by  V.J. Billings from Mountain Valley Growers, Squaw Valley, CA
	The Edible Flower Garden: From Garden to Kitchen: Choosing, Growing and Cooking Edible Flowers by Kathy Brown
	Taylor's 50 Best Herbs and Edible Flowers : Easy Plants for More Beautiful Gardens "This is an extremely informative book for beginners. I decided to start an indoor herbal garden, and this was one of the first books I picked up. Not only was it informative about plant care, it also provided some very interesting recipes, concoctions, folklore, and tips on storing and processing the herbs." Reviewed by  TJ Currey from Bellevue, Washington
	Empty Harvest: Understanding the Link Between Our Food, Our Immunity, and Our Planet by Mark Anderson "A Book EVERYONE Should Read! Empty Harvest clearly explains the link between the lack of minerals in our crop soils and the modern day diseases associated with mineral deficiencies (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.). The author shows many excellent examples of how mankind is slowly destroying it's future by robbing the Earth of the very things that give us and support life itself. Empty Harvest is a "wake-up call" for us to start changing our destructive ways, or poor physical and mental health and disease will dominate our lives into the 21st Century and beyond! By following many of the guidelines in Empty Harvest (especially eating foods grown in nutrient rich soils & taking plant derived major & trace mineral supplements from organic sources), we can maintain or regain optimum health. Anyone who thinks they are getting all the essential vitamins and minerals they need from the produce section at their local supermarket needs to read Empty Harvest TODAY!" Reviewed by Wayne Wasserman from The Garden State
	Saving Seeds: The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds by Marc Rogers "Revive an almost lost heritage! Save Your Non-Hybrid Seeds  NOT buying seeds from catalog! Saving seeds is a time-honored tradition. This book tells you all you need to know about how to raise, harvest, and store seeds for the easiest-to-grow and most popular vegetables and ornamental plants. Answers hundreds of frequently asked gardening questions. Reviewed by retreating@y2kwise.net from 'The' Reading Room
	Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables by Mike Bubel  "A Must-Have for Your Library! Outstanding book! "The amount of information included makes this book well worth its price. The month-to-month calendar of what one can eat from their root cellar is especially helpful. The pictures, and descriptions, of several existing root cellars in various parts of the country was especially appreciated, and will definitely be utilized when I build my own root cellar. If you are interested in being self-sufficient, this book will be of great assistance." Reviewed by a reader from San Diego, CA
	Fruit, Berry and Nut Inventory: An Inventory of Nursery Catalogs Listing All Fruit, Berry and Nut Varieties Available by Mail Order in the United States by Kent Whealy  Sounds like the perfect Mid-Winter Night's Dream book.
	More Books: Healthy Natural Homes, Healing Home Decor Herbs for Health and Beauty Immortality, Rejuvenation, Life Extension, Longevity Juices and Juicing Loving Relationships and Lovemaking Metaphysics and Spirituality Natural Beauty and Cosmetics Natural Fitness, Spiritual Bodywork Natural Health and Healing Natural Remedies Organic Gardening and Permaculture Personal Growth Raw Food Lifestyle and Theory Sprouts and Sprouting, including Wheatgrass Uncookbooks Wild Food and Foraging

 

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